Alcohol addiction may have comprehensive and widespread effects on the brain, said a study. The 10-year-old study established a 'significant deterioration' in memory of middle-aged men who drank over 36 grams of alcohol per day.

The study from University College London tells that heavy-drinking may have bad effect on memory and cognitive working in middle-aged men.

A group of people, including over 5,000 men and 2,000 women belonging to an age group of 45 to 69 years, was studied. Researchers evaluated their drinking habits and performance on numerous cognitive functioning tests. The drinking habits of the volunteers were evaluated thrice over a period of 10 years along with cognitive functioning.

The adverse effects were observed in men who drank more than 36g a day, i.e. four and a half unit of alcohol. These people experienced memory loss or impaired cognitive processes earlier than light or moderate drinkers. The findings of the study have shown the significance of consuming alcohol as per safe limits.

Simon Ridley, head of research at the dementia research charity Alzheimer's Research UK, says, "The people in this study did not have dementia but memory decline can be a precursor to dementia and understanding the risk factors for this decline could be important for preventing the condition".